Tonsillectomy Timing

My daughter is having hers out on September 17th. I am praying that it helps with the temper tantrums in the mornings after the interrupted sleep at night, prying her out of bed with a crow bar, poor concentration, repeated strep and ear infections...sound familiar. Our daughter is lucky enough to have 2 of her pre-K friends going to kindergarten with her, so that should ease the transition a little, but we are more worried about her falling behind in the academics by not having the surgery done, than by missing the 1 1/2-2 weeks of class since she is so tired her concentration is a factor in her learning...Our daughter is so bright, but it does not seem to be showing academically which is a symptom of attention deficit (which is a common symptom of severe sleep apnea). Here's hoping the T&A fixes a lot of problems for her...she is an amazing kid.

Hope this helps.

S.

My daughter had her tonsils removed, adnoids shaved and tubes put in her ears for chronic infection and sleep apnea when she was 3. The results were phenomenal and I truly believe it changed all of our lives! Her recovery was only a week. First couple days were rough, but she rebounded quickly after that. I would definitely recommend not putting this off too long, but wouldn't have her miss the beginning of kindergarten when everyone is making friends and figuring things out.

I remember having my tonsils out when I was in 2nd grade. I only missed a week of school and then for another week I had "modified" activity (no gym class). That being said, if you are worried about timing, I wouldn't schedule it so close, she should be there for the first month to get adjusted. My daughter finished kindergarten last year and the first month was crucial. After that, I think you will be fine. Our system had no homework and the teacher can send work home for her to complete. Are there any weeks in the beginning of the year with a few days off that you could plan around so she doesn't miss so much?

I would go with late September. I think the first two weeks of school are important because that is when all the procedures are explained and the teachers give the kids time to adjust. If she misses that she may not know what is expected when all the other kids are used to the routine. It is also a good time to get to know the other kids. Missing a few weeks later won't be a big deal, and the kids will know her and want to make her get well cards.

I wouldn't wait for Christmas break. Christmas is a busy time anyway and adding surgery to that, in my opinion, would be crazy. I would just go for it now. Get it done with, then she can go to school feeling better and ready to roll. Good luck!

I support the surgery after 3 or so weeks of school. I would not wait for December, she's bound to get sick before that and miss even more school and even delay the surgery yet again. I would have her START Kindergarten with everyone, so she knows what the routine is and she meets everyone while everyone feels like "new-be's". I have TONS more reasons why you want her to be at school from day 1 and leaving after 2+ weeks will be workable socially and academics can be worked out since the teacher will have had time to get to know her. MUCH better to take care of the surgery soon, in my opinion. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

wow.. it sounds like me.. i had my tonsils out when i was in kindergarten.. i had them out in oct.. and all the kids sent me a card... it was great.. i was out of school for one week... not a lot to miss. you can get the homework from the teacher... ask her if the kids could send a picture of card with their names on it to your little one.. i remember this andhow i like it.. i was 5 and now i'm 47!! sherbert and jello were really good afterwards.. also ice water was the best..

i think you should do the surgery when she needs it done, which sounds like now. she won't miss out academically, and at worst will take a little longer to make new friends (yes, groups and attachments will have formed but that doesn't mean they're slammed shut.) missing a couple of weeks of kindergarten isn't that big a deal.
khairete
S.

J.,
Personally, I would move forward with surgery and have her miss school. She isn't going to be up to her full potential if she isn't feeling well. And who knows how much school she'll miss from being sick. September, to me, sounds like a good time frame. Good luck and I hope your daughter recovers quickly.
K.

I don't think missing a week in September would be bad. Just a thought, but our kids have a vacation day for Columbus Day in October so they have a 3 day weekend. If the doctor would do the procedure on Friday morning that would give your daughter a good 9 days to work with for recovery (and she probably won't need all of that) and she can return to school having only missed 5 days instead of 6 or more depending on the day of the week chosen for the procedure.

Good luck,
K.

I think that waiting for 3-4 weeks is a good idea. That way she can connect with her new friends and be part of the class before she leaves. My daughter turnerd 6 in July and just had her tonsils and adnoids removed, tubes in her ears and her turbenites in her nostrils shrunk. Yesterday was the 2wk mark and she is doing great. I think after one week out from school, you could send her back with restictions in gym and recess. Does she have all day K? Plan for 2wks out, but she may be able to return sooner. Don't wait til Christmas break. My daughter sleeps so sound now, no snorring or stopped breathing and doesn't wake up cranky or dizzy. If you have any questions, feel free to message me - we just went thru this.

My daughter had her tonsils out in Kindergarten as well, but it took us so long to figure out what was going on it February before her procedure was scheduled. The procedure was done on a Friday and she only missed one full week of school & went back with restrictions for another week (ironically there was another girl in her class who had it done at the same time and they became best friends – still are and they are going into 3rd grade!).

Ask the teacher if the kids can make her a get well card and if they can send home some class/home work. My daughter was feeling GREAT the first few days after the surgery, it was hard for me to keep her resting - it wasn’t until almost 5 days later that she had a bad day (the doctor assured me this was normal and the main reason they make them stay home for a week)

I say do it now – her health is of the foremost importance, she will make friends, one week is not going to derail that.

Good-Luck! ~ B.